Daring Women Q&A: Molly Moon Neitzel, Founder and CEO of Molly Moons Homemade Ice Cream

The first installment of our Daring Women Q&A series features Molly Moon Neitzel, the founder and CEO of Molly Moons Homemade Ice Cream. In May, at our first Daring Women event, she took part in a panel discussion on Owning Your Leadership Style. Read about her mentors, proudest moments and advice to women starting out in their careers.

1. Tell us about the high point of your career. What do you love about your work? Describe your proudest moment.

High points of my career: Being chosen to lead Music for America, a national political nonprofit, at 23 years old; seeing Molly Moons be such a success in our very first summer; being included in Puget Sound Business Journals 40 Under 40 in 2011 and Women of Influence in 2014.

What I love most about my work: That I am the owner of my own destiny, that I get to run a company according to my values, that I get to have such a positive impact on the Molly Moons employees lives and on workers lives in Washington state through policy advocacy, that ice cream really does make people happy and I get to see that joy every day!

Proudest moments: Opening day of every shop Ive ever opened, knowing how many happy customers there will be and that we just created 20 or so great jobs; the passage of Paid Sick Leave in Seattle, the minimum wage increase in Seattle, and then the statewide initiative in Washington in 2016 that raised minimum wage and required paid sick days for every worker in our state; seeing Glamp become such a successful fundraiser for camp scholarships to Girl Scout camps; our Mooncrew Summer Kickoff event this spring, looking out into a crowd of about 200 folks who are helping us carry out our mission of making the world better seeing the most diverse Mooncrew yet, knowing they all have access to free quality health care and so many other benefits that make a real difference in folks lives like paid family leave, paid medical leave, subsidized transit passes, matched retirement accounts, life insurance to protect their kids and families, predictable schedules, and career development opportunities to move up in our company and stay with us a long time. it was one of the best feelings Ive had in years!

2. What challenges have you faced as a woman in your industry? How have you addressed them?

I think the challenges that Ive felt that have been uniquely female are mostly around motherhood. Balancing running your own company and being a good, present mom is very difficult, especially with babies and toddlers. Ive addressed those challenges for the most part by delegating more and more both at work and at home. I hire out anything I possibly can at home. I use online grocery shopping, house cleaners who also do all our laundry, we get take-out at least one night a week, etc. Then at work, I delegate a lot and trust people to do their jobs. I dont micromanage, and I leave work at work. All those things make it so Im a very present mom when Im at home, which is what I need to do to feel like my family is getting the best of me and my kids are having the childhood I want them to have. It also means that my inbox is always full of things Im late on and I think people outside my company may think Im sort of a flake because it takes so long for me to get back to people.

3. Tell us about a person who has inspired or mentored you. What key lesson did you learn from them?

My biggest mentor by far is [venture capitalist] Andy Rappaport. He could see leadership potential in me when I was very young, and has invested in my career financially and with boundless advice and mentorship for 15 years now. Key lesson hes taught me: Gosh! There are so many! Hes taught me to keep investing in long-term goals, even when they might seem kind of risky to some; hes taught me to be a generous leader and manager; hes taught me to ask myself hard questions when I feel stuck. I could really go on and on!

4. What advice would you give to a woman getting started in her career?

My advice for women starting their careers is to look for role models who have qualities in their life that you want in your future, and ask them to be mentors or advisers to you. If you admire someone, just ask them to help you get where you want to be. In my experience, most women (and most people) want to help other women, and will make time to do that. Another big piece of advice for young women is just get really good at your current job. Excel where you are. Act like the boss you want to be. Practice being professional and having leadership qualities, even when you dont think your current position demands that. It will help you so much when you are ready to start your own business or go for that big promotion.

5. What can women do to improve gender equity in the workplace? What can men do?

To improve gender equity in the workplace, everyone needs to constantly check their own biases and each others biases. I think getting your workplace to host some required equity and bias trainings is a good place to start. But then everyone needs to participate in a culture where kindly checking each others biases becomes the norm. Women can speak up for themselves, yes, but they can also speak up for each other, for folks of color, for folks with different life situations than their own, to help everyone create a more inclusive workplace. Men just need to do the same, and try really hard to see their own privilege in the workplace. Also, pay transparency. Women in particular need to get comfortable talking about how much money they make, and making sure that they feel theyre paid fairly in comparison to the people around them. Even when this is hard, its the only way to really change the gender pay gap.

6. Tell us about a favorite book/show/podcast and why/how it inspires you.

I loved the Good Jobs Strategy book by Zeynep Ton. Its fantastic for people in leadership of companies in the customer service industry. I really enjoy the How I Built This podcast I always get little nuggets from hearing other entrepreneurs stories. On TV, Im a sucker for a tear-jerking family drama. my current fave is This Is Us, but I really wish they just would have kept making Parenthood forever.

7. Where do you find support and inspiration? How important is networking and how do you expand your contacts?

I find support and inspiration in private ways long talks and trips with my husband, Zack, who is also a small-business owner. His shop, Union Coffee, is in a very different place than Molly Moons, so it stretches my brain now to talk through his inspirations and challenges. Long talks with girlfriends are also important those who run businesses, but also those who dont! I dont find networking events particularly helpful to me. Theyre usually so broad that I just find the contacts I make at them to be overwhelming. Im far more likely to do my own research and then reach out privately to someone Id really like to meet with one on one.

8. What are the most important characteristics of a good leader? What leadership traits are overrated?

Compassion. Staying rooted enough that you can empathize with what life feels like for your lowest-paid employee. Being able to explain why you make decisions. Asking for input along the way and being willing to change the course when your team has better ideas than your original one. I think I give my team whiplash sometimes because Im so willing to change my mind, but I dont see that as a bad thing. I guess I think dogged pursuit of narrow dreams is probably overrated. It also seems to me to be a very selfish, luxurious leadership style that wouldnt work for most moms who are used to adapting our parenting style to meet the needs of our kids!

9. What would you do differently in your career if you had a do-over.

If I had my career to do over, I dont really think Id change much! Im extremely grateful for my companys success and for my life.

10. What would be the title of your autobiography?

Potential titles of an autobiography:

Ice Cream Made Me Happy.

A High Tide (Raises All Boats).

Robot Boobs A Story of Breastfeeding Success in Entrepreneurship.

Wed love to hear from more women across all industries who are challenging the status quo. Does it sound like you? If it does, click here and fill out our questionnaire.

Daring Women Q&A responses have been edited and condensed.